Speaking up loudly
Posted on | June 29, 2010 | No Comments
Three hearty cheers for the new Irish President of the Nautical Institute Captain James Robinson who has promised to speak up loudly and clearly for seafarers during his time in office.
Recently retired from the Irish Navy, Captain Robinson says that he will work hard to counter mariners’ feelings of “disenfranchisement from society”, particularly where they are treated badly after a genuine accident.
The new President, who spent many years in command of Irish naval vessels, lined up in his sights politicians , some media and ill-informed members of the public, who say profoundly stupid things after a marine accident and deserved to be shot down in flames. And when the ill-informed are holding forth, Captain Robinson will, he says, make sure that people live up to the IMO’s Fair Treatment Guidelines, and make sure that seafarers are able to get a fair hearing at the IMO itself over matters like criminalisation and general bad treatment.
Mariners will wish him well, because somebody needs to bang the drum for seafarers, and when everyone is saying how reprehensible it is that there is oil on the sea, the reality of the achievements of modern mariners need to feature in a powerful counterblast.
Of course it is not news that so many ships arrive in time, their cargo and passengers safe aboard, but to listen to some ill advised folk, you would think it a miracle that they arrive at all. So let’s encourage Captain Robinson to go on the attack, which is the best form of defence, and help to bring seafarers in from the cold.
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